The present invention relates to the new use of drilled wells to store and cycle compressed natural gas or other gasses within a specifically designed system(s) whereby the compressed gas is contained within the cavity of the well-bore casing and not permitted to be forced through any well-bore casing perforations into the surrounding underground formation due to the fact that the cased well-bore is sealed at the lower end.
Generally, oil & gas wells are usually drilled to significant depths (greater than 3,000 feet) and then plugged, if dry, or eventually abandoned once production of oil and/or gas stops.
This invention revolves around the use of existing drilled well(s), either dry holes, abandoned or converted producing wells and/or new, to be drilled, well(s) or any other well(s) located, sited, designed, drilled and fabricated to store and cycle compressed natural gas or other gasses to and from the sealed well-bore, in any volume and rate and with any degree (high or low) of deliverability for numerous industry and commercial purposes. Thus, the present invention relates to a new and unique natural gas storage and cycling system and process. There are literally hundred's of thousand's of oil & gas wells already in existence within the United States. For instance, since the first Drake well was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859, approximately 325,000 wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania, approximately 70,000 wells in New York and approximately 1.1 million in Texas. Thus, there is excess capacity and this invention will put some of this excess capacity, with little to no current economic value to society, located throughout the United States and the World, back to better economic use. In fact, many of these wells are located near or within the delivery systems and the consumer. This will increase bottom line economics of the delivery system infrastructure across the board and mitigate adverse impacts on the environment associated with new construction.
In light of the growing significance and use of natural gas in the United States and the World due to its environmentally clean nature, it has increasingly become the fuel of choice for consumers. These consumers include, but are not limited to, residential, commercial, industrial and power generators. The increased demand has and will continue to put stress on the delivery systems involving but not limited to, interstate and intrastate pipelines, local distribution companies and traditional under-ground storage operators. These delivery systems are continually seeking to construct and expand their respective systems to accommodate this increase in demand. This expansion need has a direct impact on the environment due to construction.
Additionally, the current delivery systems are also attempting to accommodate the “PROFILING” (ie: non-uniform hourly consumption—sometimes referred to as load-following) requirements of each of the ultimate consumers. That is, delivery systems generally deliver gas on a uniform {fraction (1/24)}th basis and consumption does not actually occur in that manner. Consumption can, and generally does, occur on a non-uniform basis. This places even greater demands on the delivery systems and results, at times, in penalties, curtailments, restrictions and general over-building of delivery systems and resulting environmental impacts. Delivery system operators are currently attempting to expand through new construction and are developing new rate/cost structures to accommodate non-uniform hourly consumption. These actions will only serve to increase costs and increase in-efficiencies. The present invention will serve to decrease costs and increase efficiencies and optimize the use of the existing delivery system infrastructure.
The present invention increases efficiencies and optimizes the infrastructure and provides for an economical system and method to accommodate PROFILING. It creates storage, mechanical and electrical power and the cooling affect of expanding gas when released or cycled out of the facility can be harnessed and utilized to create air-conditioning, chilled water and increase the operating efficiencies at switch yards and electrical transformers. It can also be harnessed and utilized to increase operating efficiencies at power generation turbines and other engines and other applications and used in the production of industrial gasses and ice.
In light of the fact that the invention involves and utilizes existing drilled oil and gas wells and/or newly drilled well(s), these systems can be located with little harm to the environment at critical points within the delivery system(s) infrastructure (ie: existing transfer stations), or as determined by industry and consumers. This action will then allow a reduction in costs and increased operating efficiencies.
FIG. 1 is a schematic, profile illustration of a newly drilled well or an existing drilled oil and gas well in which the well-bore has been fitted with a string of high pressure steel casing. This is standard drilling and production practice. The cased well-bore can also contain and be used to cycle compressed gasses, hold and maintain significant high pressures, without loss, depending upon the yield strength of the steel casing fitted within the well-bore and the formation pressures acting on the steel casing at various depths.
For example, a local distribution company (LDC) could locate these systems (FIGS. 2, 3) within their delivery franchise area to provide peak storage, air-conditioning, generate peak power and provide PROFILING services.
This installation would be of benefit to the rate payers of the LDC as it would result in overall lower costs, increased efficiencies and increased abilities to meet growing needle peaks and needle balancing. Thus, this system could become part of the rate base of an LDC while mitigating costly pipeline capacity charges, penalties and peak shaving costs.
Also, for example, a power generator could utilize this system (FIGS. 2, 3) to provide gas to its turbines on a non-uniform basis significantly reducing its transmission charges and mitigating its exposure to potential transmission system imposed penalties, restrictions and/or curtailment. The system could also be used to harness the cooling affect of the expanding gas to enhance the operating efficiency of its power generation turbines or engines.
Also, for example, a intrastate or interstate transmission pipeline could utilize the system (FIGS. 2, 3) to increase their ability to provide PROFILING services, increase capacity and reduce costs associated with the cooling of gas at the discharge side of compressors (ie: after cooler costs). The incorporation of turbo-expanders will also be of benefit to increase efficiencies of the turbine.
Also, for example, a direct commercial, residential or industrial consumer could utilize the system (FIGS. 2, 3) to store gas, provide their own PROFILING services, create electrical power through turbo-expanders or other generators or engines, and create their own air-conditioning and/or industrial gasses or ice or other products, such as chilled water, from the cooling affect associated with expanding gas.
Also, for example, operators of electrical switch yards and transformers could utilize the system (FIGS. 2, 3) to harness the cooling affect of expanding gas during peak electrical demand days to increase the efficiency of these facilities.
Also, for example, storage operators could utilize this system (FIGS. 2, 3) to begin to offer PROFILING services to its customers as third party balancing agents. These systems, for example, could also be fitted with TURBO-GENERATORS, to provide peak electrical power generation at the same time there is a need to provide needle balancing or PROFILING to its customers or to provide on-site power needs. The system can also be utilized to create hourly electrical power when commodity spreads and/or needs merit.
Also, for example, power plant operators and others could utilize this system (FIGS. 2, 3) to comply with environmental regulations requiring them to cool heated water that is heated during the plant operation prior to it being discharged into the environment or other holding facility.
For any and/or all examples addressed above, the well(s) and system can also be incorporated with electronic communication devices to automate them such that they can be controlled remotely and automatically from any location. This could also potentially require the system (distributed storage using well(s)) to be incorporated into other gas transmission or delivery systems such as, but not limited to, direct end-user delivery lines, local distribution systems, interstate pipelines and traditional under ground natural gas storage facilities to enhance operational efficiencies and uses.
Additionally, the well-bore of the well(s) (Existing and/or new, to be drilled) consisting of the invented system may or may not also be fitted with expandable casing (Enventure—a Joint Venture between Shell and Halliburton) to reseal perforations or otherwise contain compressed natural gas within the well-bore at low and high or any variety or range of operating pressures which may change quite often due to cycling and depending on the specific system process design as further discussed and contained within this patent application.
The present invention provides a system and method for the use and storage of compressed natural gas within existing oil and gas wells, either dry holes, abandoned or converted producing wells and/or new, to be drilled, wells or any other well(s) located, sited, designed, drilled and fabricated to store and cycle compressed natural gas or other gasses within the contained cavity of the well-bore casing in any volume and with any degree (high or low) of deliverability.
Each of the well(s) can then be incorporated with additional facilities, depending upon designed use and process, such as compressors, pressure reducing regulators, heat exchangers, temperature absorbers, turbo-compressors (for electrical and/or mechanical power creation), distributed power generator engines, in-line measurement equipment and other components for compressing and storing the gas within the system at a range of rates, and then cycling the gas out of the well(s) for a number of business applications, including but not limited to, industrial & commercial, & residential use, consumption and profiling of gas requirements, power generation use, consumption and profiling of gas needs, local distribution company use, consumption and profiling of gas needs, interstate pipeline use, consumption and profiling of gas needs, creation of air conditioning, industrial gasses and ice, enhancing the efficiency of switch yards, electrical transformers, compressors and other business and non-business applications. The system design would incorporate all components required to operate within the parameters of its designed utilization and within the operating parameters of any system(s) it may be incorporated in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner.
Depending on the specific process and/or business application, which are numerous, associated with the well(s) and the total created system (distributed storage using well(s)), each system configuration will be subject to change, however, the constant component's will always be the incorporation of the well(s) within the system(s) and the connected processes and business and non-business uses contained within this patent application.
In another embodiment, the well(s) are existing drilled well(s), either dry holes, abandoned or actively producing wells and/or new, to be drilled, well(s) or any other well(s) located, sited, designed, drilled and fabricated to store and cycle compressed gasses, such as hydrogen or other compressible gasses and/or hydrocarbon liquids, in any volume and with any degree (high or low) of deliverability for numerous industry and commercial purposes and processes as detailed within this patent application. Additionally, the invention and system can be located slightly below grade. Thus, the present invention relates to a new and unique natural gas storage system and process.
In the presently preferred embodiment, the well(s) are existing drilled well(s), either dry holes, abandoned or actively producing wells and/or new, to be drilled, well(s) or any other well(s) located, sited, designed, drilled and fabricated to store and cycle compressed natural gas, in any volume and with any degree (high or low) of deliverability for numerous industry and commercial purposes and processes as detailed within this patent application. There can be one or more wells involved in the system and the system can be located above or below grade. Thus, the present invention relates to a new and unique natural gas storage system and process.
The inventor knows of no other similar method and processes to store natural gas other than in underground reservoirs, cylinders or tubes at a vehicular fueling center for natural gas vehicles, on ships and land for purposes of transporting and storing natural gas in serpentine tubular coils and horizontally positioned steel pipes which are placed above ground or in shallow trenches. The tubes are located either above ground or placed in shallow trenches whereby they can be stacked in horizontal layers. These other facilities are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,858,640, 5,207,530, 5,333,465, 5,803,005, 5,839,383, 6,003,460 and 6,412,508.
The facilities described for use at vehicular fueling centers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,465. This Patent teaches the storage of natural gas at extremely high pressure, in excess of 5,000 psi, in relatively shallow wells, 500 to 1,000 feet. These wells are drilled by conventional water well drilling trucks and the well-bore is cased with conventional water well casing. Natural gas is then compressed and stored in high pressure tubes that are fit into the shallow well-bore. These high pressure tubes contain the natural gas under about 8,000 psi.
Our invention, involves significantly different and unique systems and processes. One, our invention incorporates the use of existing oil and gas and/or new, to be drilled, wells that are significantly different than water wells. Secondly, our invention stores and cycles gasses into and from, the steel cased well-bore that is sealed at the lower end and not in individual steel tubes that are lowered into conventional, low pressure, water well casing. Also, our invention relates to a system that can be used, in part, for rapid cycle balancing and storage, needle peaking, profiling, peak electrical power generation, creation of industrial gasses and ice, enhancing efficiency of turbines and electrical system components and for heat exchange benefits. Clearly, the invention is not solely a vehicular fueling center storage system.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment as detailed within FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.